Bonkers Blog February 2016

It’s not been easy to get to see the progress made by Councillor Leitch on
his Sidcup Garden Project.
The walled garden had been quietly abandoned by Bexley Council and it quickly became overgrown.

Rob organised a rescue party but it can work only on occasional weekends, generally ones that
Crossrail
has chosen to scupper the only easy way of getting there from Abbey Wood. Driving and parking in Bexley is best avoided and
I’ve only managed to get to Sidcup once.
Fortunately others have been more supportive and now everyone can help. The tireless
Councillor Leitch has secured backing from Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ scheme. It
would be simplest to just let Rob describe how it works.

I am delighted to announce that the project has won further support from
Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ scheme. This scheme, the funds for which are raised from
the 5p tax on plastic bags, will see the Sidcup Garden Project compete with two
other open space projects in the area for public votes. The top-placed project
will receive £12,000, with second and third receiving £10,000 and £8,000 respectively.

Voting will take place in local Tesco stores between Saturday 27th February and
Sunday 6th March. Local customers will be provided with a token with every
transaction and encouraged to vote for the project they would like to see receive funding.

As such I am writing to urge the Tesco shoppers amongst you to support the
Sidcup Garden Project over the coming weeks. Tokens will be issued and used in the following stores:

Interesting to see Rob Leitch describe the five pence bag charge as a tax. His colleagues
said the brown bin tax was not a tax because no one was compelled to pay it. But it was
no different to a tax and so is the bag charge. Rob talks the same language as the rest of us.

Amazing that a few local shops appear to have raised £30,000 from the government’s plastic bag rip off already.